Partnership
by aifuru
Summary: It was one of those times when Yagyuu got sick, and Niou felt lonely. Written for 100 Themes prompt on Dreamwidth as well as a celebration for today being the 28th.


**Author's Notes:** Apologies everyone. I have not updated my fanfiction account in a long time, but hey, if you'd still like to read my other stuff, I suggest you go to my dreamwidth which is directly linked as my homepage in my profile. I update there more often! :D Besides that, happy 28th everyone. Here's some D1 rabu to celebrate the occasion.

Yagyuu Hiroshi was one of those students who always had a perfect attendance record. He was never late nor did he ever miss class. It was something he didn't really take pride in as it happened just like how it was supposed to happen. Everyone at Rikkai was used to Yagyuu's constant presence, which was why it had felt weird when Yagyuu's seat was just unoccupied one day.

Everything had suddenly felt out of place for Yagyuu's classmates. To all of them, the classroom just felt unusually empty without Yagyuu's usual dorkiness. Others who usually turned to Yagyuu for help with anything, like their homework, were panicking for they had forgotten to do their homework once again and were initially relying on Yagyuu to help them with it.

Sanada was, of course, the first of the tennis club members to know since he was Yagyuu's classmate. He shrugged it off, not really minding it. He did notice that Yagyuu was a little too stressed recently and perhaps, that was why he was absent. Sanada deduced that perhaps, Yagyuu was absent because he was sick. There weren't many possibilities. He never saw Yagyuu as the type to skip class.

A little later during their break and when Yanagi visits the classroom, he confirms Sanada's suspicions and shows Sanada the text message from Yagyuu, explaining that he had unexpectedly gotten sick.

"Also, I'd noticed that a little earlier before he had sent in the message. I know that Yagyuu arrives at approximately 15 minutes after 6 am. He was not here, and so I considered the possibility of his absence and true enough," Yanagi says and flips the phone down to a close, "Yagyuu ended up absent."

Sanada grunted at the data master's somewhat lengthy explanation.

At lunch break, Niou storms into 3A, expecting Yagyuu to be there, but there was no megane boy sitting on his chair, eating his lunch calmly without really chatting with anyone, except if someone approached him about some sort of homework. The smile on Niou's face had immediately disappeared as he could not understand how Yagyuu wasn't where he usually was. It wasn't that he was bothered by the sudden break of routine but Yagyuu had not really said anything.

A few chairs away from Yagyuu's empty seat, Sanada was on his, eating his lunch surrounded by Yukimura and Yanagi.

"Check your phone, Niou. Have you?" Yukimura tells Niou.

Niou gets his phone out of his pocket to see one unread message.

_Sorry, can't make it to school today. My colds got worse than expected. Niou-kun, please do me a favor and bring me my homework for the day. Thank you._

Niou flips his phone back to a close nonchalantly and goes up to the rooftop. However Yukimura stops him before he goes out of the room.

"Here, have my extra melon pan. You don't seem to have any food. Take care of yourself, Niou. You're a valuable asset to the team."

Niou grabs the melon pan silently and walks up to the rooftop.

Everything was a degree lonelier without Yagyuu to mess with. Niou munched on his melon pan on the way home. Yukimura had let them all off earlier that day. He had an appointment with the doctor and neither Sanada nor Yanagi could oversee club activities that day, as both had busy schedules as well. Kirihara had insisted that he be the one to oversee activities since he was going to be future buchou, yet Yukimura had simply told him not to get ahead of himself.

Meanwhile, Niou was eating his melon pan on the way to Yagyuu's house with Yagyuu's books in his bag. The dork demanded that Niou be the one to take home his homework. Besides that, Niou had nothing else better to do, so why not?

Niou arrives at the doorstep to Yagyuu's house and he rings the doorbell. Yagyuu's mother answers the door with a calm-looking smile on her face.

"How nice of you to visit Hiroshi, Niou-kun! He's just upstairs so feel free to enter his room," Yagyuu's mother says.

Niou goes up without really saying much and brought up the tray of snacks, water and medicine that Yagyuu's mother had given him. He opens the door to find Yagyuu buried under the blankets, initially resting but he stirs a little and Yagyuu blinks his eyes open.

"Don't stress yourself out, megane dork," Niou says as he grabs the chair to sit nearby Yagyuu, leaning most of his weight forward on the back of the chair.

"Oh. Hello Niou-kun."

Niou reaches towards Yagyuu's forehead to check on Yagyuu's temperature.

"Still hot as ever, I see," Niou smirks.

Yagyuu just grunted and a cough escaped him.

"Really, Niou-kun. Don't try to sound so offensive."

"Since when was calling someone 'hot' an offense now, Yaagyuu?"

Yagyuu gave up, too sick to think of a proper reply and he just lay his head on the bed.

"I was clearly kidding. Everyone thought it was weird of you to be not there today," Niou mentions, but leaves out the part about him feeling especially lonely without Yagyuu to bug.

Yagyuu nods. "I must have missed quite a lot, haven't I?"

"It was just a day, Yagyuu. Relax. Even so-called perfect little gentlemen like you need their breaks once in a while."

Yagyuu coughs again and Niou offers him some water.

"But still, I do hate being sick."

Yagyuu gives back the glass of water and he leans against the headboard.

"Tell me, Niou-kun. Were you worried?"

"Am I not supposed to be?"

Yagyuu, not knowing what else they could do, sighs and tries his best to relax. He was genuinely happy. Though Niou wasn't the type to show it, he cared. Even if he was just flipping his phone open and close repeatedly, he was there, and that was enough. Yagyuu could not help but smile.

"Partners right?"

"…Puri."

That was all he needed.


End file.
